New life for an 93 Mauser... Suggestions?

[myarmor]

Well as said I just picked up a 93 Turk Mauser in pretty good condition that was rechambered for 8mm in 1935. I also picked up 1000rds of Turk FMJ (steel jackets that punch through trees) ammo... and they are HOT this was my buddies rifle for a few years and he and I shot plenty of it between this one and my 98 K-Kale Turk. I got it to mainly play with as a project and I know the 93's don't have the rep of being as strong as the 98's ..duely noted...But I do know this one handles every high pressure round of Turk ammo with no danger signs to note, they really must have headspaced it well too(I have had a few rounds of this Turk ammo blow back in my 98 K-Kale) I also am not dumb, I reload and know that old powder can be unpredictable.. Still It's a very good shooter, and the bore has strong rifling. I plan on reloading for this one and have dies, brass, and bullets ready to go.
Anyway so I thought of cutting back the barrel about 4-5" to get away from the scaring in the rifling due to cleaning or rebarrel for a fun cal like a 7.62x39 mabe I don't know... Also I will need a new stock ..synthetic or wood..(old stock is split and beyond repair) and drilled and tapped for a scope mount- but I am still tossing up the idea of a scout mount which would be an easy option.
Like I said I really don't need it but I have a lot of ammo and a newly made bolt handle and am ready to start having some fun on this project. I thought about pulling and recovering the components, but of course the Brass is Berdan primed, and most of all I would get from it is the bullets... or neck size and reload the Berdan brass.. In any event I am open to suggestions.




-Aaron

[billy_56081]

The easiest rebarrels are getting and Adams & Bennet barrel from Midway in 6.5 swede, 257 bob or 7X57. THey are short chambered and you can hand finish with a rented reamer.

[Tackleberry]

I built a 7 x57 Mauser With a A&B barrel on a 1893 Turk receiver...It came out very nice!!!!!

Timmney trigger and Boyd's stock. It has a F14 profile barrel.  Luckily, ran across a commercial type shroud.

Bolt was done by someone else but I like the style.

[myarmor]

I have been keeping an eye on those A&B barrels for some time now, but now that I own this Mauser I suppose I will have to keep a tighter eye 
Nice 93 by the way. How does she shoot?

[Tackleberry]

thanks....She's a very good shooter..the 7 x 57 cartridge is a great round. ........

Keep an eye on Midway for the barrel and also Gun PArts Corp has them also at times.

[myarmor]

I have never had a rifle in the round, but I have heard nothing but good things about the 7x57 so I have to say it is a thought. What bullet weight does it prefer? Pet Load? I do like the 7mm's...She is polished up good Nice stock too I have to add, thats one thing I can't find many of for the 93 I would like a good synthetic one as this one is a great utility rifle, especially right now in 8mm and not really polished up, but I might have to go with a wood one.
There us just something about a Mauser, even if it is over 100 years old   They have character that many modern rifles just don't have.

[Tackleberry]

Boyd's is possibly the only place you'll find a reasonably inexpensive wooden Stock for the 93. Bear in Mind stockers often sell 93-96 stocks...when the Swedes are just slightly different enough to make fitting a problem. SO if you can find a stock that is made for the 1893 you'll be better off. This wooden Stock was a Boyd's unfinished walnut stock, and I think the only issues with it were the trigger guard and maybe the barrel channel. So it was not a total drop in stock, and the bolt handle channel had to be cut too. (Make sure you take your time with that , synthetic or wood stock. If the recess is not deep enough, the bolt handle will not close all the way, which WILL cause light primer strikes and misfires) I always test my triggers, safetys, bolts and firing pins on primed resized brass (only, no powder, no bullets) to ensure I've got everything so (after proper headspacing). But I always do that now AFTER it's been fitted for the stock. Just something you learn.

The synthetic stocks are ok...I find they look better painted because They do usually require some mods to them to make them look good. I remove mold lines, fill in areas with epoxy that do not match right, and glass bed.  Have only dealt with ones so far for the MOD 98. I think I've used the FAJENs so far. They are a little generic for MOD 98's. Some 98 fit better than others.  For instance, the Turk 98 ANKARAs are just a little shorter in the tang than a Columbian (FN) 1950 MOD 98.

[myarmor]

 I might have to go with one of Richards Microfit laminated stocks... perhaps one in pepper Lam, would match up nicely for what I am looking to make.
What scope base did you use, Redfield?
Thanks a bunch for the info I really appreciate it, there doesn't seem to be much support for the 93, the 98's stole to scene. I now wish I picked up a nice Yugo or VZ-24 when I had the chance. Things have really dried up My K-Kale 98 is a hard ridden horse, and the barrel is just about completely crapped out.

[Tackleberry]

Recommend you get you a C&R license..many of my receivers I bought as barrelled receivers or just receivers. I also bought a bunch of "as is" Yugo 24/27 complete rifles for $49.00 a piece a while back.

[myarmor]

I was on the verg of doing it about 5 years ago and I really kick myself for not going through with it. But as I look through the web I don't see myself coming out on top if I get one now, with $$ so tight and my project list so long by the time I get processed through, the rifles I could have gotten a deal on now have been picked through and the prices will have already gone way up
But in any event I went out today and fired both my 93 and my 17" project 98 and had a lot of fun. I believe I will leave the 93 as is in 8mm it's just a heck of a shooter, but I believe it would really be a better one with a few inches cut off from all the war time use.... not much maybe 4inches I am guessing now.. scope it out and find a decent replacement stock. 
The 98 is a BOOMER with a 17" barrel! I want to make a scout out of this one with a low power long eye relief scope on it to keep the weight down, it will really be the the perfect truck gun for me if it groups decent and with the way it shot today I believe it's workable within it's limits...I love the 8mm it's a hard hitter, and Sierra put it quite well.. it just works.

[Tackleberry]

well like I said  I get them as receiver...Ole Western Scrounger sells receivers to C&R sometimes and they are a lil rough but I've gotten two Columbian K98s out of there for less than $50.00 per...see Gunbrokers

[gunnut69]

Just a little hint.,.I've seen several '93s over the years that had cracks around the bolt face just at the edge where it meets the bolt face fence. The bolt face was cracked loose from the bolt body. One was very bad and quite dangerous.. That said I've used '93-'95 and '96 Swedes with out standing success. Nice job on the '93!

[myarmor]

Thanks for the bump, and the info is always appreciated for us 93 guys. My bolt is as solid as a rock to me!




-Aaron

[mrussel]

Well as said I just picked up a 93 Turk Mauser in pretty good condition that was rechambered for 8mm in 1935. I also picked up 1000rds of Turk FMJ (steel jackets that punch through trees) ammo... and they are HOT this was my buddies rifle for a few years and he and I shot plenty of it between this one and my 98 K-Kale Turk. I got it to mainly play with as a project and I know the 93's don't have the rep of being as strong as the 98's ..duely noted...But I do know this one handles every high pressure round of Turk ammo with no danger signs to note, they really must have headspaced it well too(I have had a few rounds of this Turk ammo blow back in my 98 K-Kale) I also am not dumb, I reload and know that old powder can be unpredictable.. Still It's a very good shooter, and the bore has strong rifling. I plan on reloading for this one and have dies, brass, and bullets ready to go.
Anyway so I thought of cutting back the barrel about 4-5" to get away from the scaring in the rifling due to cleaning or rebarrel for a fun cal like a 7.62x39 mabe I don't know... Also I will need a new stock ..synthetic or wood..(old stock is split and beyond repair) and drilled and tapped for a scope mount- but I am still tossing up the idea of a scout mount which would be an easy option.
Like I said I really don't need it but I have a lot of ammo and a newly made bolt handle and am ready to start having some fun on this project. I thought about pulling and recovering the components, but of course the Brass is Berdan primed, and most of all I would get from it is the bullets... or neck size and reload the Berdan brass.. In any event I am open to suggestions.




-Aaron

 First,Id love to see a picture. I just picked up a Turk Mauser that was made in 46 from a pawn shop for 65 bucks. The rifling looks to be in good shape but the stock is lousy. I picked up a bag of fifty new unfired 8mm cases for 24 bucks at my local gun store (and some surplus 8mm from somewhere in eastern europe) and got a good deal on a set of 8mm dies from the bargain cave at Cabelas (its nice to have one local to me) as well as a bag of 100 copper jacketed 8mm bullets (also from the cave). I cant wait to try it out,but first I have to fix some things. The front of the stock has a crack that Im going to have to inject some water,then polyurathane glue and clamp,and there is no finish to speak of on the stock unless you count dirt and cosmolene. (maybe thats how you tell a real milsurp arms collector,they thing cosmolene IS a wood finish!    )  Im not sure what happened but a two pins up at the front were bent. Im not sure of someone hit the rifle on something or tried to take the rings off without knowing where to knock out the pins and release the spring clip.

[mrussel]

Boyd's is possibly the only place you'll find a reasonably inexpensive wooden Stock for the 93. Bear in Mind stockers often sell 93-96 stocks...when the Swedes are just slightly different enough to make fitting a problem. SO if you can find a stock that is made for the 1893 you'll be better off. This wooden Stock was a Boyd's unfinished walnut stock, and I think the only issues with it were the trigger guard and maybe the barrel channel. So it was not a total drop in stock, and the bolt handle channel had to be cut too. (Make sure you take your time with that , synthetic or wood stock. If the recess is not deep enough, the bolt handle will not close all the way, which WILL cause light primer strikes and misfires) I always test my triggers, safetys, bolts and firing pins on primed resized brass (only, no powder, no bullets) to ensure I've got everything so (after proper headspacing). But I always do that now AFTER it's been fitted for the stock. Just something you learn.

The synthetic stocks are ok...I find they look better painted because They do usually require some mods to them to make them look good. I remove mold lines, fill in areas with epoxy that do not match right, and glass bed.  Have only dealt with ones so far for the MOD 98. I think I've used the FAJENs so far. They are a little generic for MOD 98's. Some 98 fit better than others.  For instance, the Turk 98 ANKARAs are just a little shorter in the tang than a Columbian (FN) 1950 MOD 98.

 That makes a lot of sense. I find myself looking at the synthetic stocks wondering who would put such a terrible thing on their gun and more to the point who wouldn't be humiliated at the range to be seen with one. Its the defects and the injection seams that really make them look like a cheap kids toy. I can see if the seams were cleaned up and the imperfections worked out and filled and a good paint job put on them they would look OK. Perhaps even good depending on what you were doing. For instance,there was a guy at the gun show that did the digital camo patterns on guns and while he charged enough so that I would not put something like that on a cheap stock,you really couldn't tell WHAT was underneath it. If the surface was good and smooth,a synthetic stock would look no different than a wood one. Im personally not a huge fan of camo on guns,but thats just my own personal preference.
 
 Actually,Ive met the guy that would show his face in public with a stock that looks like a kids toy. He was at the pawn shop that I found the Turkish Mauser at also looking at guns. I remarked how I found a great deal on a Sears JC Higgins shotgun from the 50s at the Cash America table at the gun show (the same pawn shop I was at) and that I had been looking at Mausers for awhile and he said with a very smug attitude,like it made him so cool, "Im not really into sporting guns,I like the military ones" He seemed like the kind of person who would buy an old rifle like that if he couldn't afford a "better" one,then put every cheap plastic "tactical" accessory on it (and by "tactical" I mean,every cheap plastic accessory that has written ON the package,the word tactical) including some gawd awful thing with three rails he can mount five different flashlights too or something,then brag about how great his gun is while the surplus ammo hes shooting eats away the once pristine bore because he doesn't know which end of a cleaning rod hes supposed to put up the bore.

[myarmor]

For $65 I would have picked it up as well. Good deal!
 I will see what I can do pic wise, but it's pretty much a stock Mil. 93, shoots great though. My stock is crap as with many, but it has it where it counts. I have a good set of dies and plan on reloading for it, but first I need to drill and tap out the reciever and get a good mount, which I haven't done yet. So it's still a work in progress.....

[Tackleberry]

If you check out the green stock I posted, its a Fajen synthetic stock. All cleaned up..mold lines sanded down, ready to go. Glass bedded. Then I rought it up well with 150 grit...clean it well with lacquer thinner,dry, then shoot it with about three or four light coats of Krylon enamel. Once the enamel is dry, in this case at least, I used a spider web paint available at most craft stores. It looks real good if you are sparing with it (practice on Cardboard first) , then I shoot the stock again with three of four light coats of semi gloss or eggshell polyurethane tp protect the finish. Is it a tough finish? Well it works well in the range and out hunting too...but inevitably dings happen. I like it that I can dab on a little of the green or the black as the case may be and cover tiny defects that no one except me will notice.

I've done the same finish with sand color, a darker olive drab...and you could do black also with gold web paint for a neat look. There are parts out there for 93's..you have to keep and eye out. Remember some 93's have the flat bottomed bolt like the Spaniards, some had rond bolt faces.

I use Redfield Jr sized mount because you do not need to remove the charger hump, and you have total control over windage...helpfull if you get the screw holes off just a little from center line..